An older patient has fallen and broken his hip. As a consequence, the patient's family is concerned about his ability to care for himself, especially during his convalescence. What should the nurse do?
a. Stress that older patients usually ask for help when needed.
b. Inform the family that placement in a nursing center is a permanent solution.
c. Tell the family to enroll the patient in a ceramics class to maintain his quality of life.
d. Provide information and answer questions as family members make choices among care options.
ANS: D
Nurses assist older adults and their families by providing information and answering questions as they make choices among care options. Some older adults deny functional declines and refuse to ask for assistance with tasks that place their safety at great risk. The decision to enter a nursing center is never final, and a nursing center resident sometimes is discharged to home or to another less-acute residence. What defines quality of life varies from person to person. Nurses must listen to what the older adult considers to be most important rather than making assumptions about the individual's priorities.
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